Example, the famous Mother
_Lakland_, who was burnt for a Witch at _Ipswich_, _Anno_ 1646,
confessed at the Time of her Execution, or a little before it, that she
had frequent Conversation with the _Devil_ himself; that she being very
poor, and withal of a devilish passionate, cruel and revengeful
Disposition before, used to wish she had it in her Power to do such and
such mischievous Things to some that she hated; and that the _Devil_
himself, who, it seems, knew her Temper, came to her one Night as she
lay in her Bed, and was between sleeping and waking, and speaking in a
deep hollow Voice, told her; if she would serve him in some Things he
would employ her to do, she should have her Will of all her Enemies, and
should want for nothing: That she was much afraid at first, but that he
solliciting her very often, bad her not be afraid of him, and still
urg'd her to yield, and as she says, struck his Claw into her Hand, and
tho' it did not hurt her, made it bleed, and with the Blood wrote the
Covenants, that is to say, the Bargain between them: being ask'd what
was in them, and whether he requir'd her to curse or deny God or Christ?
She said no.

N. B. I do not find she told them whether the _Devil_ wrote it with
a Pen, or whether on Paper or Parchment, nor whether she sign'd it
or no, but it seems he carry'd it away with him. I suppose, if
Satan's Register were examin'd, it might be found among the
Archives of Hell, the Rolls of his _acta Publica_; and when his
Historiographer Royal publishes them, we may look for it among
them.

Then he furnish'd her with three _Devils_, to wait upon her (I suppose)
for she confess'd they were to be employ'd in her Service; they attended
in the Shapes of two little Dogs and a Mole: The first she bewitch'd
was her own Husband, by which he lay a while in great Misery and died;
then she sent to one Captain _Beal_ and burnt a new Ship of his just
built, which had never been at Sea; these and many other horrid Things
she did and confess'd, and having been twenty Years a Witch, at last the
_Devil_ left her, and she was burnt as she deserv'd.

That some extraordinary Occasions may bring these Agents of the _Devil_,
nay, sometimes the _Devil_ himself, to assume human Shapes, and appear
to other People we cannot doubt; he did thus in the Case of our Saviour
_as a Tempter_, and some think he did so to _Manasses_ as a Familiar,
who the Scri